Subclass 489 Visa

What is Subclass 489 Visa?

The 489 Skilled Regional Visa, popularly known as Subclass 489 visa, is a temporary visa. It allows skilled workers or skilled migrants to work and live in Australia.

Please remember that subclass 489 has been recently closed by the Australian government. It has been replaced by subclass 491 visa (Skilled Work Regional Provisional Visa Subclass 491) effective from 16 November 2019.

Subclass 489 visa category is specially designed for applicants who possess

• skills,
• abilities, and
• experience

These factors have to be in demand in specified regional areas/territories or some specific states of Australia.

Eligibility requirements of the Subclass 489 Visa

In order to be eligible to apply for a Subclass 489 Provisional Visa in Australia, you must fulfil the following conditions to satisfy the immigration law:

• Your age has to be under 44 years.
• Have relevant work experience in any of the nominated occupations in the eligible Skilled Occupation list in Australia.
• You have to score a minimum of 65 points on the Australia Points Test System designed for immigration.
• You must obtain a positive skills assessment from a relevant assessing authority.
• You must possess experience that meets the state or territory requirements.
• You must have the required level of English Proficiency from IELTS
• You have to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI)
• You must have an application for State Sponsorship
• You need to meet the minimum health and character requirements to get a positive Police Clearance Report
• You must live in a sponsoring regional area or state for 2 years after the visa is issued

The Subclass 489 visa is a four-year provisional visa that requires you to live in a regional area for at least two years and work full time (minimum 35 hours a week) for at least 12 months, before you become eligible to apply for permanent residency.

Documentation requirements of the Subclass 489 Visa

Here is the list of the documents that you need to arrange before applying for a Subclass 489 Visa:

Application Process for the Subclass 489 Visa

You will have 60 days to apply for your subclass 489 provisional visa from the date of receiving an invitation. We are mentioning the step-by-step guide to make you understand the application process.

• Log into your Skill Select account.
• Then press the ‘Apply for Visa’ button.
• Now, you will be asked to create an ImmiAccount. Remember that the username and password of your ImmiAccount should be different from your Skill Select account.
• Fill in the details in the required fields and attach the scanned images of your documents.
• You will be directed to pay the visa application fees.
• Do not forget to note down the Transaction Reference Number after successful payment. You may need this transaction ID/number for future references.
• After submitting the visa application, you cannot check the status of your application but keep an eye on your email for any sort of communication.

Cost involved in the Subclass 489 Visa

The cost of Subclass 489 is variable and it depends on the pathway that the applicant has taken. Here is a chart that explains the cost for each pathway :

This chart mentions only flat rates. You may have to bear additional costs to cover expenses for health assessment, biometrics, and police certification.

You can take the help of this Visa Pricing Estimator to have a better idea of the pricing for several types of Australian visas.

Processing Time for the Subclass 489 Visa

The Skilled Regional Provisional Visa or Subclass 489 is a temporary visa that allows skilled professionals to work and live in Australia. This visa comes with three different pathways that enable temporary 489 visa holders to secure permanent residence in Australia for up to 4 years with help of a state/territory/family sponsorship.

Here are the pathways and approximate processing time for each of them :

• Invited Pathway (applicants nominated by state/territory/eligible relative to apply for the visa): 75% of the applications take 19 months while 90% applications take around 24 months. The processing time here includes the time required for Territory/State Nomination as well as Family-Sponsored streams.
• Extended Stay Pathway (visa holders of subclass 475, 495, 487 or 496 visa): There is no standard processing time for this pathway.
• Subsequent Entry Pathway (applicant’s eligible relative living in Australia and already holding 489, 475, 495, 487 or 496 visa): This type of visa application does not come with any standard processing time.

How Can Kansas Help?

Here is how we can help:

• We will tell you about the documents needed and the assessments and tests to be taken. 
• The points will be calculated at our end based on the online ranking system.
• The Canadian immigration lawyer will guide the clients till they are selected. 
• The profile will be registered on behalf of the client by the immigration law team. 
• Our experience and expertise will help us to highlight your application to make it stronger. 

Other FAQS